To Revive Cecelia
by Lasafara
Summary: Pegasus has reached his limit, but there's a mysterious stranger willing to give him a second chance with his love. Is the price worth it?
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, but Nuhaku is MINE. ALL MINE. 

A/N: Rated for violence and attempted suicide. There may also be some implied sex. I haven't decided yet. In fact, unlike my other stories, this one is completely writing itself, so I'm not even sure how its going to turn out. Hopefully it won't die halfway through. Anyway, it's going get weird. So, R&R! I want to know if it's worth continuing. 

To Revive Cecelia

_By Lasafara Fett_

            He sat on the bed where his underlings had placed him to recover. He didn't know why. There was nothing to recover to. He had lost, not only the battle, but also any chance of regaining Cecelia. 

            Without his Eye, without the Puzzle, without KaibaCorp. He had been so very very close. He had been sure he was going to win. And then. 

            Then Yugi had come through in the end. And there was no stopping him. The boy was a master at the game, though Pegasus didn't understand how. He, Pegasus, had created the game, and this boy of no more than twelve was able to defeat him.

            "What's the point? I'm born to lose. I have lost everything." Pegasus began to cry. "My dear Cecelia, my dearest Ce-chan…I've lost you. I can't bring you back. I don't have the means anymore."

            He covered his face with his hands and wept.

            Pegasus decided something. He had nothing to live for now. He was too tired. Too tired to try anymore. Yes, he could track down Bakura, track down Yugi and Kaiba, and try again, but for what? He'd lost once, was there any point in failing again? 

            "I could try a hundred times, and that boy would still defeat me. Even still. I give up."

            Looking at the picture of Cecelia, the giant portrait he kept in his room, he pulled out a small pistol. Setting it against the side of his head, he slowly pulled the trigger.

            "Wait for me, Ce-chan."

Pegasus looked around. Something was wrong. The gun had never gone off, and yet here he was. He could see his body, as immobile as stone, still holding the gun to his head. But he wasn't in the body anymore.

That wasn't normal. He had expected a weird, out-of-body experience, but not before he managed to pull off the shot. That was supposed to happen after he shot himself.

Looking around, he attempted to find the cause of this phenomenon. And saw an odd, purple-haired man staring back at him. 

"Hello, there," the man said, tipping his top hat towards Pegasus. He was dressed in a business suit of purple satin, with an undershirt of green. His short straight hair came down to his shoulders, except for his bangs, cropped short to reveal his emerald eyes.

"Who are you?" Pegasus didn't like the look of this man. 

"My name is Nuhaku."

"And where did you leave your fashion sense, Nuhaku?"

Nuhaku laughed, "This coming from the man who regularly wears a pink and white suit?"

Pegasus flushed. He didn't respond. He hadn't really thought of that. However, pink and white did tend to go together better than bright purple and bright green. The man's color coordination hurt the eyes, yet somehow didn't clash. It was just very very loud.

"Now, Pegasus. I've come to talk to you about what you seem about to do." Nuhaku swept his arm around the room, taking in the suicide scene. 

"What about it?" Pegasus was instantly suspicious. What right did this…thing have to tell him what he could do with his life? 

"Well, is it going to work, do you think? Especially since you haven't kept that gun loaded in, let's see, four years now, right?"

Pegasus flushed again. Then he crumpled. It was saddening to watch. Slowly, as if someone was taking his heart and wadding it up like a piece of paper, his body folded down and in. His arms crossed in front of his knees, his entire body shaking with sobs as his form seemed to recede into a tiny speck.

Nuhaku looked on impassively. Patiently, he waited for the flood to retreat. Finally, when Pegasus had run out of tears, run out of energy, Nuhaku walked over and set his hand on Pegasus's shoulder.

"Do you feel better now, Peega-kun?"

Pegasus nodded. Normally, he would have snapped at anyone referring to him as '-kun,' but he was just too worn to care. 

"I lost her, Nuhaku. She's gone, and I can't get her back. And I can't even manage to end my life. I'm just a failure, all around."

Nuhaku shook his head. "And how will ending your life help? Its admitting failure, is it not?"

"But at least the failure would end with rejoining Cecelia."

Nuhaku nodded. "Well, actually, I felt sorry for you. So, I'm here to do you a favor."

"You'll give me back Ce-chan?" Pegasus's eye lit up. Nuhaku came closer, and slowly brushed the hair from in front of Pegasus's left eye. There, instead of an eye, instead of the Millennium Eye, was an ugly red hole. The only thing left after Bakura had taken the Millennium Eye.

"Yes, my Peega-kun. But there is a price. And a catch."

Pegasus nodded. There always was. "I'm listening."

Nuhaku nodded and sat back, letting Pegasus's hair fall back in front of his eyeless socket. "One day only. You only have her for one day. You spend your time in this realm. Though you will still have a full twenty-four hours with her, you will be returned exactly as you are, sans the gun, of course."

Pegasus looked at him a little strangely. That seemed a rather odd thing to say. Nuhaku winked. 

"Couldn't let you hurt yourself, Peega-kun. The cost is you. Your abilities, your memories, your influence, your mind, _your soul_. You see, I haven't been solid for a very long time. A very long time. And it will be nice to have a body once more."

Pegasus looked very unsure at this. He was beginning to have second thoughts about this whole deal.

"Oh, not to worry. Its not like I'm planning to hurt anyone you know. In fact, you'll find that my influence can be very helpful. And, unfortunately for me, I won't be able to do anything you are _completely_ opposed to. You'll ride around in the back of our mind, a separate entity. I'll take good care of you. You'll never have to worry about anything again. Besides, my own, personal abilities, though muted, will still be able to communicate with the dead. For example, your Cecelia."

That cinched it. Pegasus nodded firmly and put out his hand. "You have a deal."

Nuhaku smiled, his face taking on an almost sinister cast. Then, putting his hand up to Pegasus's cheek, he nodded. "Excellent."

With that, he kissed Pegasus firmly, with a lover's passion. Then, he was gone.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Her One Day

By Lasafara Fett

            Pegasus looked around for the man. Seeing that Nuhaku was gone, he quickly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and spat. That was not what he'd expected the man to do.

            Standing up, he began to look around for Cecelia. After all, Nuhaku had said that she would come back, if only for one day. He desperately needed to see her. He looked up at her portrait, brushing a finger against her painted cheek.

            He drew away sharply. It didn't feel like a painting. "Cecelia?"

            The figure in the portrait turned and smiled softly at him. Holding out her hand, she waited for Pegasus to help her down out of the frame. As soon as she was standing on the ground, Pegasus wrapped her up into his arms.

            "Cecelia! Oh Ce-chan, I've missed you!" The tears ran freely down his cheeks as he held desperately onto his love.

            "Oh, Peega-chan, I love you. I'm sorry I had to leave!" Cecelia was crying as well, burying her face into her husband's chest.

            Pegasus, unable to stand much longer, slowly drew her to the floor and onto his lap. There, he carefully explored every part of her face, memorizing it again and again. His hands ran over her lips, her eyelids, her cheeks, her shoulders. Cecelia returned the gesture.

            Suddenly, she drew back. "Pegasus! What happened to your eye?"

            Smiling softly, Pegasus shook his head. "My Millennium Eye, a replacement for my real one, was stolen."

            "Right out of your head?" Cecelia looked absolutely shocked.

            Pegasus nodded. "There wasn't anything I could do."

            Cecelia examined the socket for a few seconds longer, then let his hair fall back in front of it. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she drew his face closer to hers. 

            That was all the encouragement that Pegasus needed. They didn't think of anything else for a long long time.

            "This is the main hall." Pegasus swept his hand through the air, taking in the vast expanse.

            "Its so huge!" Cecelia looked up and up and up.

            Pegasus laughed. "It's built to impress visitors. I originally ran a contest out of the palace, and this was the first thing the contestants saw. A minor intimidation tool."

            Cecelia nodded. It made sense. "Have you done any more painting since I left?"

            Pegasus shook his head softly. "Not real-life painting. Those cards I showed you, yes. But other stuff…" He shrugged, "After you left, there was no inspiration."

            They had begun using the term 'left' instead of 'died' early on. Cecelia knew something of what had been going on, having watched from her place in heaven, but had not been able to see everything. She also had often not been able to see past the pain Pegasus had carried with him, and now she was sometimes rather clueless as to what was going on. 

            At first, the huge dueling arenas had frightened her. She had never seen anything so big, and the monsters that appeared on them were terrifyingly real to one who has never seen holographs. 

            Pegasus was so very gentle with her. He watched her every move, taking care to help her in everything she did, almost to the point of irritation. 

            "Peega-chan! I can cut my own meat! Back off!" She laughed, but her eyes told him she was dead serious. 

            In the in-between realm they currently inhabited, they could touch and move anything they wanted to, except the living organisms. Cecelia had wanted to find something to eat, and Pegasus had quickly cooked up a small meal. 

            "Very well, Ce-chan." He winked at her and smiled, but backed away from her plate. He didn't particularly want to risk finding out whether those forks could still hurt when used as weapons.

            Nearing the end of the day, Pegasus spotted something out of the corner of his eye. A small clock was hanging from the wall. He didn't remember putting it there. Besides, the coloration…

            Was irritatingly familiar…

            'Damn it!' Pegasus thought. 'Can he change forms?'

            He watched intently as Cecelia changed into her pajamas. Cecelia kept blushing every time she looked his way, which was often. She could feel his eyes roaming her body, and she both loved it and was frightened by it. 

            As he was changing into his pajamas, she watched him just as intently as he had watched her. However, his blush was much more amusing, as his entire body turned a bright red. He carefully tried to cover his bare chest as he climbed into bed. She laughed.

            "Don't do that." Pulling his hands away from his chest, she rested her head there, listening to his gentle heartbeat. Even though he had left his true body in the other realm, this shadow was the perfect imitation.

            "Fine, fine." Pegasus laughed, and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her closer, until her entire body was pressed close against his. 

            Gently, sleep came and took them away.

            Nuhaku watched the quiet scene and silently gagged. "In a mere nine hours, my Peega-kun, you will be mine. Then you won't need this little thing anymore."


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three: Completing the Deal

By Lasafara Fett

            Pegasus woke up slowly, with Cecelia still by his side. At first, he couldn't remember what she was doing here. He had woken up by himself for so long now that he just didn't know how to handle having her there. 

            Then, she moved just a little, and he remembered. Remembered the deal he had made, but most of all, remembered that she was here and his. He looked down at her wonderful, beautiful body, pulling her gently closer to him. 

            She smiled in her sleep, and her face gently buried itself into his chest. He smiled softly down at his love.

            "Forever mine, Ce-chan."

            Nuhaku looked on with distaste. This was getting disgusting. Fortunately, he wouldn't have to deal with it for very much longer.

            As he looked at her, her body began to fade. At first, he thought that it was just his imagination. She'd come out of the portrait, and he had assumed that she would exit the same way. 

            Her body continued to fade out of sight, until finally, only her nightgown was left. He desperately tried to find her, but his hands moved through the air with no resistance. 

            She was gone.

            "Cecelia!!" Pegasus screamed.

            Sighing, Nuhaku jumped down from his perch and allowed his body to appear to Pegasus. "Now, now, Peega-kun. You knew the deal. Time is up."

            Pegasus looked hatefully at Nuhaku. "You could have allowed me a chance to say goodbye."

            He stalked up to Nuhaku and raised his fist. Nuhaku didn't even flinch. In fact, he laughed. "Peega-kun, what do you think that will accomplish? Even if I did let you hit me, I mean."

            "I'd feel a hell of a lot better." With that, he let his fist fly.

            It was caught in an iron grip. Suddenly, Nuhaku didn't look so nice. His eyes narrowed, and he smiled, allowing his previously hidden fangs to show. Calmly, he twisted Pegasus's hand around until it was ready to break. Pegasus didn't dare to move. His body was frozen by that cruel gaze.

            "Now. I told you not to." Twisting his own body around, but without letting go of Pegasus's fist, Nuhaku got behind Pegasus and snaked his other hand around Pegasus's waist, pulling them closer together. 

Pegasus trembled. This man, this _thing_ was frightening, and had Pegasus at his mercy.

"Peega-kun, I want you to remember. We made a deal." Nuhaku pulled Pegasus closer as he whispered into his ear, "And now, you have to live up to your side."

Pegasus whispered desperately, "Please. Just let me go? Please?"

Nuhaku laughed sadistically. "Very well, Peega-kun."

For an instant, Pegasus was free of Nuhaku's grasp. But just as suddenly, Nuhaku pulled them together again, this time forcing his lips onto Pegasus's. Pegasus struggled, trying desperately to get away. Nuhaku just moaned. 

"I love it when you struggle."

Instantly, Pegasus went still. Silently, he pleaded that it would be over soon.

Pulling away from Pegasus, Nuhaku laughed. He looked over his prize and nodded. Then, he smiled almost pleasantly at Pegasus. "So, would you like to rejoin the real world now, Peega-kun?"

After two weeks of living in the back of his own mind, Pegasus was still scared to death of his master. Nuhaku had control of everything, from what he wore to what he ate. It was like being a slave, except that Nuhaku could read most of his thoughts. There was a tiny portion of Pegasus's mind that was kept blocked away, a place even Nuhaku couldn't reach. 

But that didn't matter. Nuhaku was still in control. The worst part was that Cecelia was gone from all his pictures. The backgrounds and props were still in the paintings, but the person, the object of his desire, the subject of the painting was missing. 

And slowly, Cecelia was fading from his mind. Ever so slowly. It was as if Nuhaku was carefully erasing every memory of her that he had, replacing her image, her love with his tyranny.

Nuhaku was using Pegasus's influence to find and track down Bakura. Nuhaku seemed intent on discovering where Bakura was, and Pegasus agreed. He wanted, no he _needed_ his Eye back, but it seemed an impossible task.

Nuhaku grinned. Soon, he would have Bakura and the others. Soon, he would have the Eye, and the other items, and no one could stop him. Not even Pegasus.

As the weeks progressed, Pegasus grew more and more uncomfortable with the arrangement. Yes, he was able to talk with Cecelia, and he did on a daily basis. But it was becoming less and less frequent. Nuhaku was slowly pushing Cecelia out of his life, and Pegasus couldn't seem to be able to do anything about it. 

Had Nuhaku ever tried to take down pictures of Cecelia, or attempted to stop a conversation with her, Pegasus would have stopped him immediately. But Nuhaku was subtler than that. He never stopped a conversation, but he often showed his disapproval. And with the pictures, there were none left anyway. All the pictures of Cecelia had disappeared. 

He was losing her. Nuhaku was taking her away, and he didn't know how to stop him. 

Nuhaku grinned as he found the school Bakura was attending. He knew how to get there, and he knew that Bakura had the Eye. Looking down the list of names, he chuckled as he realized that Yugi also attended the school. 

"Perfect. See here, Peega-kun? We can gain the Eye back, and acquire the Ring and the Puzzle!"

'Nuhaku, no! Just the Eye. Please?'

"Now, Peega-kun, what did I tell you to call me?"

Pegasus shuddered. Even when in this form, Nuhaku could hurt him. And he did. Oh, how he hurt Pegasus. Nuhaku was slowly claiming Pegasus as his own, and Pegasus was scared to death of him.

Death was not even a possible escape.

'Yes, Nuhaku-sama. But please? I don't want to hurt them!'

"They hurt you, didn't they, Peega-kun?"

'Yes, Nuhaku-sama, but…'

"But nothing. This is what we are doing."

Pegasus sighed. 'Very well, Nuhaku-sama.'

In that little place that Nuhaku had not yet penetrated, Pegasus curled up and cried. He was sick of hurting others, sick of being hurt, and sick of himself. There was nothing left for him now, and he couldn't even control his own body.

He didn't know how long he could resist Nuhaku, but he was afraid. Afraid that he wouldn't last long enough to stop him from causing more pain.

A/N: In this fic, I'm using the term '-sama' as the equivalent of 'dear.' If you know your otaku-Japanese, you know that '-sama' can mean either 'master' or 'dear.' Really, either one fits, but Nuhaku is a freaky little being, and wants to be called 'dear.'

Oh, and to the reviewer who claims I'm basing this off of the Witty Phantom, my only response is "Who?"


	4. Chapter Four

A/N: Darn it. This was supposed to be a short little fic, but it's taken an entirely different turn than I expected. Which is annoying, because I was hoping to finish it here soon. But I'm sure the readers like it. If you don't, though, I really don't care, because quite honestly, I'm not writing for you. But review anyway! 

Chapter Four: Return

By Lasafara Fett

            Nuhaku smiled at the schoolyard. He was carefully watching, waiting for his primary target to emerge. He knew that they all went to this school, but his first and foremost goal was the return of the Millennium Eye. That was Pegasus's by rights, and since he owned Pegasus, he owned that. 

            Besides, he wanted it. He had waited and waited for Pegasus to get weak enough to be unable to resist him, and then that intruder, that _usurper_ had stepped in and taken it! It was _his_! No one else could have the Millennium Items! _No One_!

            Nuhaku shook his head. Fortunately, unlike Pegasus, he was able to keep a large portion of his mind separate from the other entity living within him. This was partially because Pegasus did not care to intrude into his thoughts, but mainly because Pegasus just was too weak. 

            That was one of the things Nuhaku had come to enjoy about Pegasus. And one of the reasons he had chosen to take the Eye first. The other Item carriers were made of stronger stuff, or, in the case of the Yugi child, were surrounded by people who would notice if he started acting differently. 

            But with Pegasus, there was no one to notice. Pegasus had lost his item, but it was only right for him to attempt to gain it back. Nuhaku was still upset about Bakura. Bakura would suffer for it. Oh, how Bakura would suffer. Only he, Nuhaku, had the right to gain the Items. 

            Of course, Bakura knew enough about the Items, remembered enough about his own past, to know about Nuhaku. Nuhaku just had to be careful that Bakura didn't find out about him too quickly. No, no, that wouldn't do at all.

            Yet there was something alluring about letting his long-time rival know who it was that was defeating him with such ease. 

            There would be plenty of time for that, though, when he had Bakura back at the island, back in his hands, to be played with and discarded.

            The end of the day came, and Bakura could not wait to get out. For pity's sake, he was thousands of years old, and expected to listen to the drivel put out by these decade old 'teachers?' It was just plain ridiculous. 

            Suddenly, he felt his Ring respond to something. There was something in the air, and he didn't like it. It didn't feel right. Following where the Ring drew him, he ran towards the focus of the power. 

            Nuhaku felt Bakura drawing nearer. He could tell that it was the darker half, and that's exactly who he wanted. It would be no fun if the Bakura that came begged him to be kind and gentle. He was sure to get enough of that when he took the Puzzle.

            Bakura stopped short when he saw who it was that was standing there. "Pegasus!"

            The man nodded. There was something odd about him, a flickering in his eye. He didn't seem, didn't act, didn't feel like the same man that Bakura had stolen the Eye from. However, Bakura couldn't resist a little taunting. Pulling out his bag, he opened the special satchel where he carried the Eye. 

            He had refused to stop carrying it. It was too likely to be found by other hopefuls and stolen. At least when it was on his person, he had a chance at defending it. Besides, if _he_ ever came back, Bakura couldn't risk the chance that _he_ might gather all the Items. _He_ had horrible plans for the world, and Bakura wouldn't gamble the world's souls on the chance that _he_ wouldn't return.

            Holding the Eye above his head, Bakura looked at Pegasus. "Looking for this, Pegasus?"

            Pegasus grinned, and somehow, something was different. Bakura was beginning to get seriously disturbed by this.

            "Yes, in fact I am. I would appreciate it if you returned it to me."

            "Not on your life, freak."

            "NOW."

            There was something about that voice. Bakura began to respond before he even registered what he was doing. When he realized it, it was too late. The Eye was sailing through the air, landing in Pegasus's hand.

            Pegasus smiled again, and Bakura suddenly realized where it was he had seen that smile. "No…"

            Pegasus just continued to smile, before he ducked into a parked car and drove out of sight.

            Back at his own house, Bakura went over and over the interchange, unable to come to any other conclusion. The creature Nuhaku was back in the real world, and Bakura had to stop him. The last time, the Item carriers had been lucky enough to seal him away into the Shadow Realm. They had known it was not permanent, but they had no other recourse. 

            And now he was back. And he had a body once more. This time, they didn't even have all the Item carriers in one place.  Bakura cursed. He needed to talk to Yami Yugi, and to do that, he was going to have to reveal himself. This was not going to turn out good.

            Nuhaku smiled down at the Eye. He had it. It was his. For right now, he wouldn't put it in. He knew that it would only respond positively to one particular soul, and that soul was Pegasus. Once he had the other Items, then he would be able to use all of them regardless of whom they were tuned to, but until then, it was just too risky.

            He reached back into his mind, back into the place that was Pegasus. Slowly, he retreated back there until all his senses were turned off. Until he was almost completely physically shut off. Until the image of Pegasus and the room he had created around himself became clear.

            Nuhaku smiled as he stood in Pegasus's little room. There was a door in one corner, a door that was locked to him, but there nonetheless. Eventually, he would unlock that door, and everything that was Pegasus would be his. But he was willing to wait. After all, he had eternity.

            "Peega-kun? Where are you, Peega-kun?" Nuhaku looked around the room, finally spotting Pegasus.

            "What do you want, Nuhaku-sama?" Pegasus practically snarled. He didn't like being disturbed in his own room. This was still his portion of his mind, and he took it seriously.

            "I thought you'd like to know that we have the Eye, now."

            Pegasus perked up. Maybe, if he had the power of his Eye, he could expel Nuhaku from his mind. That thought was quickly locked up behind the one locked door of his mind. "Really? When are you going to put it in?"

            "Oh, not until I gain all the other Items, Peega-kun. I don't know what the reaction would be otherwise. But not to worry. It will be returned to this body soon enough."

            Pegasus slumped. "Please. I hurt these people enough when I tried to gain Cecelia back. Can't we just stop?"

            "Oh, no, Peega-kun. Not until I have what is so rightfully mine."


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: A rather long chapter. I could have cut it down, but then it'd be a rather short chapter. I like where it ends right now, honestly. Oh, and this is _nothing_ like what really happens, I'm sure. I have been writing under the preface that this is an alternate universe. Therefore, no flames on "This isn't how it happened!" So, R&R!

Chapter Five: As to Why…

By Lasafara Fett 

            Ryou Bakura stood at the door of the Motuhs, waiting for someone to answer his knock. His other self had explained, briefly, what was going on, and Ryou had been glad to help. 

            He couldn't believe there was actually a reason for his Yami's attempts at world domination, but apparently, this Nuhaku character was one nasty fellow. Bakura wasn't even sure he was human, but he did know that Nuhaku had plans for humanity that didn't include much of the human race. 

            "When the Millennium Items were first created, it was to harness the power created by the Shadow Realm. We first became aware of this power through our own version of the Duel Monsters game, and quickly realized that it was something to be feared."

            "Why?"

            "The power in and of itself is not evil, but the possibilities of it being used for evil are great. So, we managed to harness that power inside the Items. It wasn't easy. But that's not important. Shortly thereafter, an entity, for lack of a better term, began appearing in the items, attempting to take control. Apparently, he is the soul of the Shadow Realm, and he doesn't like humanity one bit."

            "What did you do?"

            "Shut up for a moment and I'll tell you. That was when we keyed the Items to specific souls, so that when those souls were reborn, only they could handle the specific Items tuned to them. But it wasn't enough. He began manipulating the people. People are stupid. They'll believe whatever they're told, and he hurt many of them. Very badly. So, we decided the only way was to put pieces of ourselves into the Items. It hurt like hell, and eventually killed us."

            "Wow. So you died for this?"

            "I'm not _all_ evil! In fact, I'd like to think I'm not _evil_ at all, but no one else seems to agree with me. They didn't agree, either, that we should just gather up the Items and lock them away. Not until the last minute. And then they made arrangements for them to be found and redistributed. Stupid prigs. It's easier to find the Items when they've been bonded. And it's easier to get them. Especially when weaklings like you and Yugi are the ones guarding them."

            "So that's why you want to get the Items."

            "Yes. I'm not near as awful as you seem to make me out to be."

            So now, Ryou was taking Bakura to talk to Yami Yugi. Both had agreed that Yugi was more likely to be somewhat violent were Bakura to show up on his own. So, Ryou was the choice. 

            "Ryou? Hi! Come on in!" Yugi looked pleased to see his friend.

            "Hello, Yugi. Actually, I was wondering if I might have a moment with your Yami…"

            Yugi gave Ryou a strange look, but nodded. "Okay. Just a second."      

            Yugi led the boy into the living room, where they both sat down. Yugi began to look a little distant, his eyes glazing over and then rolling back.

            Then, a light flashed briefly, and the boy changed. 

            "What is it, Ryou?"

            Ryou nodded and took a breath, before looking over to Yami Yugi. "My Yami needs to talk to you. About a mutual acquaintance."

            "And who might that be?"

            "Nuhaku."

            Yami Yugi's eyes widened sharply, before he glared at Ryou. "Where did you hear that name?"

            "From my Yami. He told me that Nuhaku was back. He said that he needed to talk to you immediately."

            Yami Yugi nodded. "Very well. We will talk."

            Ryou nodded, and before long, Bakura was sitting in his place. 

            "You say that Nuhaku is back? How?"

            Bakura shook his head. "I don't know. Probably because you didn't seal him away well enough, baka."

            Yami rolled his eyes. "Whatever. But isn't he just a spirit now anyway? Has he been attacking your Ring?"

            "No. He came after the Eye."

            Yami gave Bakura a strange look. "And how do you know that? I don't remember you being good friends with Pegasus."

            Bakura didn't even have the decency to look ashamed. Then again, he didn't see it as the shameful act that Yami did. "I'm not. I took it from him."

            Yami glared daggers at Bakura. "And what did that accomplish, might I ask?"

            Bakura shrugged. "If I hadn't, then _he_ would have the Eye and we wouldn't even know that he was back."

            "You probably just got Pegasus upset enough that he would resort to helping that thing!" Yami sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hand. "What's done is done. Do you have the Eye now?"

            Bakura shook his head. "He got it from me."

            "How?"

            "He's taken over Pegasus's body. I don't know if it was a willing possession or not, but Pegasus is lost to us now. He's using that bastard's influence against us again, and this time he has an Item to help."

            Yami shook his head. "No, he doesn't. He can't use the Millennium Items until he has all of them. Same as anyone who isn't bonded."

            "But he _can_ influence the real world with his Shadow powers."

            Yami nodded. "So, we have to keep him from getting the other Items. And, since we all just happen to be going to the same school here, he's rather likely to come after us next. I think it'd be best if we stayed in control for a while. Our hikari are too weak to adequately handle this mess."

            "Ryou couldn't find his way out of a paper bag without me," Bakura said, almost fondly.

            Yami looked at him a little surprised. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were beginning to like your hikari."

            Bakura glared at Yami.

            "And here I thought you were going to hate him forever. Maybe you're getting soft?"

            "One more word, Yami, and Yugi won't ever be able to put your pieces back together."

            Nuhaku sat in Pegasus's little room, calmly stroking Pegasus's head. He was thinking about what he was going to do next, but for now, he was content to sit with Pegasus.

            Pegasus was less than pleased with this attention, though. He wanted out of here. No, he wanted Nuhaku out of here. However, the control Nuhaku had over him was great, and disobedience was painful.

            "Why do you want the Items so badly, Nuhaku-sama?"

            Nuhaku looked down at Pegasus in surprise. Pegasus rarely talked to him, rarely acknowledged his existence unless he had to. Not that Nuhaku minded. It gave him more freedom to do what he wished. Sometimes, though, he wished that people, especially Pegasus, wouldn't see him as a monster. Pulling Pegasus closer, he gathered the man into his lap. Pegasus didn't seem the least bit pleased with this.

            "Come come, Peega-kun. It's a long story, and you might as well be comfortable." Nuhaku always appeared in Pegasus's room much taller than Pegasus, giving the impression of a loving father figure. Pegasus didn't like this either, but Nuhaku was insane enough, without trying to argue with him. That just made him an angry insane man.

            Pegasus relaxed into Nuhaku's arms a little, and allowed Nuhaku to position him. Then he waited while Nuhaku got comfortable. Finally, Nuhaku started.

            "Before the Shadow Realm was opened, it was nothing like what it is now. It was beautiful and peaceful, a place worthy of being called home. The dark did not cover the world as it does now. 

            When it was opened, it changed. The greed and hatefulness of this world spilled in, and began to overrun the place. Your people have a legend of the Pandora's Box. How it was opened and released all the evil in the world, correct? 

            Our world had nothing like that. Our world was what would have happened here had Pandora not opened the box. When your people forced their way into our world, they began to teach our people things. Things like hate, and greed, and deceitfulness. These things were unheard of in our world. 

            And then they forced us to fight. I suppose I was lucky. There was never a card made for me, so I never had to bow to other's wills. They never realized that by creating the cards, they were enslaving a whole other world. 

            I had to watch as my subjects, my fellow creatures were subjected to battles where they fought and often lost. Our people would bring them to the healers, and they would be healed, just in time to be forced out again. Or they would die. 

            When one of our kind dies, they are instantly reincarnated. We don't reproduce; we just come back. Unfortunately, this made it easy for the intruders to come in and battle. If we died, so what? We just came right back, right?

            I got sick of it. These were _my_ people. _My_ subjects that were being forced to fight and die for the amusement of these people. That's when I began to fight back.

            By creating the Millennium Items, the intruders were able to harness a great deal of my power for their own, power that I was no longer able to access. But not all of my power. And once it bonded with someone, I was able to easily locate it. My first attempts were clumsy, but by the time I had figured out how to override the human, they figured out how to tune each item to specific souls, blocking me from overriding them. 

            After that, they were able to stay just one step ahead of me. When I finally managed to almost overcome them, they sealed me away into a corner of the Shadow Realm, with some of their own favorite monsters to guard me. Needless to say, that didn't work awfully well, since these were my people. 

            But they discovered how to lock me into the corner without the use of the creatures they said they loved." Nuhaku began to laugh at this. Pegasus tensed, unsure of what was so funny, and especially unsure as to what he should do. 

            Sensing Pegasus's unease, Nuhaku stopped laughing. He rubbed Pegasus's back in a comforting manner, before continuing.

            "I was stuck there for a long time, but with the rise of Duel Monsters again, my cage was weakened, and I was able to escape. Now, if I gather all the Items and gain my powers back, I will be able to expel this world from my home, and restore it to its former beauty."

            "Will that hurt this world?" Pegasus asked his question almost nervously.

            Nuhaku nodded. "It will. A lot of people will die. But your people didn't care if my people died. Why should I care?"

            Nuhaku began running his fingers through Pegasus's hair, murmuring softly, "But I'll never let anything happen to the one who has helped me so much, Peega-kun. You'll be safe, I promise."

            Pegasus just trembled. Suddenly the world had gotten even more complicated.


End file.
